By SEAN DOUGLAS Monday, November 30 2009

SOUTH Africa President Jacob Zuma yesterday denied knowledge of any plot by China, India, Brazil and South Africa to possibly walk out of next month’s United Nations Climate Change Summit in Copenhagen in protest against the developed countries.

Zuma’s denial came at the final media conference at the close of the CHOGM at the Hyatt Regency hotel in Port-of-Spain, in reply to a reporter who said this scenario has been raised in world news reports.

India’s Hindustan Times yesterday said the four nations had met secretly in Beijing, China, on Saturday, and quoted an Indian Minister, Jairam Ramesh, in Beijing as saying, “We’ll not exit in isolation. We will coordinate our exit if any of the non-negotiables is violated. This is going to be a collective decision.”

Speaking at the Hyatt Regency, Zuma said, “Well that’s news to me, that we conspired to walk out. I’m hearing that for the first time. We never did that.”

He said South Africa wants to participate at Copenhagen. “So there is nothing of that nature. I’m sure it was just a rumour,” he assured.

Zuma said South Africa shares a common position taken by the African countries as a region.

“We have an African position that we have been discussing as a region, and South Africa has been very active.